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Out To Eat Place Mat

Level: IntermediateTime: Expect 1.5-3 hoursTopic: Children & Sewing

Hey, everybody! I’m Gwen, and I blog over at Gwenny Penny. I am so thrilled that Becky asked me to be here with you today. I love to sew, and today I’m going to share a sewing tutorial for an “Out to Eat Place Mat”. I’m guilty of feeding my 14-month-old daughter her finger food right on the table at restaurants. Gross? Yes… have you seen them wipe down the tables before? I decided to make a place mat that I could easily tuck in my bag to bring with us when we go out to a restaurant.

I included a little pocket to hold some toddler-sized silverware and ties to wrap the entire place mat up into a compact little roll.

By the way, did you know that place mat is two words? Looked it up in the dictionary… who knew?

Step 1: Cut out all of your fabric to the dimensions listed in the materials list above. Center your fusible interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric you are using for the front of your place mat, and iron it in place following the manufacturer’s directions.

Step 2: Next you need to prepare the pocket. Take your pocket fabric and fold it in half (bringing the shorter sides together) with right sides together. Sew around the three open sides, using a 1/2″ seam allowance and leaving a 2″ opening for turning.

Clip the corners, trim the seams down, and turn the pocket right side out. Press the pocket, making sure to tuck the edges of the opening inside the pocket.

Step 3: Sew across the top of the pocket (the folded edge) about a 1/4″ from the top edge.

Step 4: Mark the center of the pocket by drawing a line from top to bottom (I used a water soluble disappearing ink pen). Pin the pocket in place on the front of your place mat. The top of the pocket should be 4″ down from the top of the place mat, and the left side of the pocket should be 1.5″ from the left edge of the place mat. Sew around the left, bottom, and right sides of the pocket (1/4″ from edges), then sew along the line you drew down the center of the pocket.

Step 5: Take your front and back pieces of place mat fabric and line them up with wrong sides together. Baste (using a very long running stitch) all around the outside edges using a 1/8″-1/4″ seam allowance.

Step 6: Make sure you reset your machine to a shorter stitch length. Before you sew on the binding, you can make some little ties to add to the place mat so that you can roll it up. Cut a piece of bias tape that is 24″ long. Open up one end of the bias tape. Fold in the end about 1/4″.

Refold the bias tape. Repeat on the other end.

Sew the ends and length of the bias tape closed by sewing very close to the edge. Set this piece aside.

Step 7: Time to bind your place mat. Take your bias tape and open it up. Starting along the bottom edge of the back of the place mat, pin one edge of your open bias tape even with the raw edge of the place mat. Leave about a 6″ tail of bias tape at the very beginning.

Sew right in the crease of your bias tape that is closest to the outside edge of the place mat. Stop sewing and backstitch 1/4″ before you reach the edge of the adjacent side of the place mat.

Fold your bias tape up at a 90 degree angle.

Fold the bias tape back down over itself. Start pinning the bias tape along this side, even with the raw edge of the place mat.

Step 8: If you are now at the side of the place mat opposite the side with the pocket, you need to attach the ties you made earlier. Fold the 24″ piece of bias tape in half and slip the folded edge under the bias tape you are attaching around the place mat, centering the ties on the side of the place mat.

Step 9: Start sewing in the outermost crease of the bias tape again, starting 1/4″ from the edge of the place mat and stopping 1/4″ from the opposite end. Repeat the folding from Step 7 for all four corners. Stitch back and forth over the tie attachment a few times.

Step 10: When you get all four corners done, continue sewing the bias tape along the bottom of the place mat, stopping when you are about 6″ from where you started attaching your bias tape.

Step 11: Fold over each tail of your bias tape so that they touch in the center. Pin in place and finger press.

Remove the pins and match up the creases you just made with right sides together. Pin.

Sew across the crease you just made (I lightly marked it with a pen in the photo above). Trim the seam to 1/4″, and press the seam open.

Step 12: Line up the edge of the bias tape along the raw edge of the place mat. Finish attaching the bias tape by sewing in the outermost crease of the bias tape again.

Step 13: Now that your bias tape is attached all the way around the outside, it’s time to fold it over to the front of your place mat. Refold the bias tape and pull it over the edge of the place mat to the front so that it just covers your stitches. I use LOTS of pins to hold bias tape in place.

Carefully miter each corner. It may take a few tries to get it right.

This is what the back corners will look like when you fold the bias tape over to the front…

Step 14: Once you have the bias tape pinned to the front all the way around, sew the bias tape down close to the inside edge of the bias tape. (TIP: Pin your ties to the center of your place mat so they don’t get caught up in the bias tape when sewing.)

You’re all done! Now insert some silverware, fold the top and bottom edges toward the center, roll it up, and tie it.

Now you have a cute little place mat to bring with you to the restaurant for your little one, and you don’t have to worry about what was on the table before you sat down with your family. Cover that place mat with Goldfish crackers and enjoy!

Please stop by Gwenny Penny anytime and say hello. Thanks so much for having me here today, Becky!

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Published by beckbydesign

Creative lady who works full time and tries to juggle it all, but doesn't always succeed (Who does?!). I love to show off new ideas to help inspire and liberate others creativity!
View all posts by beckbydesign

Cool! We've been living by the ol' "eat-off-the-table-God-made-dirt-and-dirt-don't-hurt" philosophy but this is waay better- especially since my son is starting to use the fork and spoon with his actual entrees! I bet it would be great in a laminated cotton too- wipeable!

What an abraodle bag (pictured with an abraodle little girl, of course!)! And way to go, Marcia, in making something so crafty (again!)!I've been meaning to look for a little purse for our girls, about that size. I know they'd have a blast with it. 🙂

Laura – what a great idea to make it laminated! What would you preferred method be? I've used iron-on vinyl before and not had great success, so I'm anxious to hear what you would do!Beckywww.liberatecreativity.com

Very imeipssrve! I would have never thought to do something like that, but wait I wouldn't even of had the stuff to attempt something like that!! I love crafts…..I just wish I had the patience to learn how to do them! Have a great week!

This is adorable, wish I sewed at all (I can sew a button back on, thats about all) or even owned a sewing maching to try to make this for my granddaughter, the directions look pretty self explanatory, if anyone makes these to sell, I would like to buy one. Email me at RBe1986@aol.com